Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad beat Al Ahly 1-0 in the FIFA Club World Championship curtain raiser on Sunday, ending the Egyptians' remarkable 55-match unbeaten run.
Captain Mohammed Noor pounced on a loose ball after an error by Ahly 'keeper Essam El Hadary and fired home from point-blank range in the 78th minute, on a bitterly cold Tokyo night.
"We are very proud to take this victory after the problems we had," Ittihad coach Anghel Iordanescu said, referring to FIFA ruling Brazilians Pedrinho, Lima and Marcao ineligible to play in the competition.